NBA 2K23 Gameplay Features REVEALED in Latest Courtside Report

2K has finally revealed some of the gameplay improvements coming to NBA 2K23 courtesy of the latest Courtside Report.

Within it, the team offers plenty of details, including insight on some of the 20 upcoming shot meter options, improvements to defense, dribble move limitations, new badge structures, dunking controls, animations, and plenty more.

With that, let's dive right in to everything 2K has revealed about NBA 2K23 gameplay in the new Courtside Report.

NBA 2K23 Gameplay Features REVEALED in Courtside Report

2K has kicked August off right with some massive reveals to follow up on the first look trailer we got in late July.

Let's break down all of the new things we learned.

NBA 2K23 Shot Meters

NBA 2K23 will be an innovative release for many reasons, and that starts by including 20 shot meter options.

These shot meters won't all be available at launch, with 5 options on launch day, and 15 more to come as unlockables throughout the year.

You can check out the 5 NBA 2K23 shot meters that will be available from the start below!

NBA 2K23 Badges

NBA 2K23 will introduce a new system for badges this year for players on next gen consoles (Xbox Series X, PS5). For starters, badges will now be ranked in a tier system. This will limit players from stacking the most powerful badges in the game, and help to control the meta more easily.

For current gen players, there's also some great news as well, though it isn't official yet, and comes from leaks. These leaks suggest that NBA 2K23 current gen players will be able to enjoy the badge selection system from NBA 2K22 next gen, meaning players would no longer be locked to the pie chart choices.

Further, NBA 2K23 badges will also include some new tweaks and changes for some of the fanbases' favorites. This includes the following changes:

Finishing

• Slithery - Makes it easier to gather through traffic, avoiding collisions and strips 
• Masher - Increases ability to finish inside layups over defenders 
• Aerial Wizard - Ability to successfully complete alley-oops and putbacks 
• Bully - Like Giannis and LeBron, able to finish strong by bulldozing through traffic 

Shooting

• Agent 3 - Ability to hit difficult 3PT shots off the dribble 
• Middy Magician - Improved ability to knock down mid-range jumpers off the bounce or out of the post like MJ 
• Amped - Reduces the shooting attribute penalties when fatigued and when moving excessively prior to shooting 
• Claymore - Increases a spot up shooter’s ability to knock down catch and shoot jumpers the longer they remain stationary prior to shooting 
• Comeback Kid - Improved ability to shoot perimeter jumpers when trailing in a game 
• Hand Down Man Down - Makes an outside shooter even deadlier if opponent fails to get a hand in the face 
• Space Creator - Formerly a Playmaking badge, it now boosts the ability to hit stepback jumpers and hop shots, and also will cause defenders to stumble more often 
• Limitless Range - An old favorite returns, making shooters more effective with any shot attempt from deep 3PT range 

READ MORE: NBA 2K23 Cover Athletes REVEALED

Playmaking

• Killer Combos - Improves a dribbler’s effectiveness with size-up dribble moves (basically a combination of last year’s Quick Chain and Tight Handles badges) 
• Clamp Breaker - Helps ball handlers win more 1-on-1 body bump confrontations (the counter to Clamps) 
• Vice Grip - Improves ball security immediately after securing a rebound, catch, or picking up the ball. Great badge for bigs! 
• Mismatch Expert - Formerly a shooting badge, this badge now helps smaller guards break down taller defenders when mismatched 1-on-1 

Defense/Rebounding

• Anchor - A crucial badge for last line of defense bigs, improves ability to block and contest shots in the paint 
• Boxout Beast - Helps rebounders win boxout battles on both offensive and defensive rebounding situations 
• Work Horse - The Pat Bev badge that boosts your ability to hustle down 50/50 balls and play hard-nosed defense without getting tired 
• Glove - Named after legendary defender Gary Payton, helps you strip players as they gather for shots and poke the ball free from ball handlers 
• Challenger - Improves the effectiveness of perimeter shot contests 

Removed Badges

• Bullet Passer
• Downhill
• Glue Hands
• Stop & Go
• Defensive Leader
• Hook Specialist
• Chef
• Hot Zone Hunter
• Lucky #7
• Set Shooter, Sniper
• Limitless Spot-Up

NBA 2K23 Defense Improvements

NBA 2K23 will also include many different defensive improvements, with some including changes to defensive AI.

For starters, on-ball defense will now offer three zones where defenders can shade opponents. If ballhandlers try to attack a lane that defenders have clogged well enough, they will get cut off, fumble the ball, or lose the ball entirely. This should be a nice change to help players handle fast ballhandlers in online play and limit cheese options.

Further, NBA 2K23 will offer some reworks for blocking and steals/strips. For blocking, things have been better balanced to realism, limiting which players can pull off jaw-dropping blocks, improving shot challenges from late fly-by block attempts, and better ball protection for players based on ratings and decisions (including newly revamped dunk controls).

READ MORE: NBA 2K23 Pre Order Available NOW

New Pro Stick Gestures

NBA 2K23 will lend more power and control to the Pro Stick this year, with tons of new gestures including double throws and switchbacks which will mimic the footwork and ball handling moves they offer.

NBA 2K23 Dribbling Changes

NBA 2K23 dribbling will be much more controlled courtesy of some new features like Adrenaline Boost. This will make it so players will be punished for overdribbling and trying to do too much with the ball in regards to dribble moves, a massive problem for the series in online play.

Adrenaline Boosts displays as three bars underneath the stamina bar that reset each possession. These boosts will be consumed if you go for an explosive sprint launch or a hard go. Once your three boosts are used up, speed and acceleration are drastically reduced for the rest of the possession.

This change is most likely to combat the infamous Curry slide and other cheesy moves utilized by the overrepresented playmaking shot-creators (and beyond) of the online 2K world.

READ MORE: *WATCH NOW* NBA 2K23 First Look Trailer REVEALED